Griddle cover shield



y 27, 1958 e. H. CRIPE 2,836,171

carom: COVER SHIELD Filed Sept. 21. 1953 s Sheets-Sheet 1 @ENE H (E/PE,

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y 7. 1 G. H. CRIPE 2,836,171

GRIDDLE COVER SHIELD Filed Sept. 21'. 1953 s Sheets-Sheet 3 JIw/E/v roe,

GENE H (Be/p5,

By Ms Ava/Quays .HZEQ/S, K1501, 39752 (5114/224 Patented May 27, 1958 GRIDDLE CGVER SHIELD Gene Gripe, North Hollywood, Calif., assignor to Utility Appliance Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Caiifornia Application September 21, 1953, Serial No. 381,398

4 Claims. oi. 126-214) The present invention relates to a new and improved type of stove construction. More specifically, it relates to a type of stove construction in which a shield is employed to prevent splattering of grease, or the like, from the griddle.

Stove constructions of all types, sizes and shapes are seemingly old in the art. Frequently, in recent years, it has been desired to produce stoves utilizing a griddle located centrally between two or more sets of burners. Such units in this location are quite satisfactory but, unfortunately, they are rather messy to use when eggs, bacon, or the like, are tried upon them because grease then splatters from the griddle onto the other burners located adjacent thereto or onto anypots and pans, or the like, positioned upon the burner. Regardless of where such grease splatters, it is diificult to remove and, hence, is messy and unsanitary and, in brief, undesirable from the point of view of an appliance buyer.

' It is an object of the instant invention to produce a new and improved type of stove construction in which the disadvantages of the above-described constructions utilizing a griddle are not found. A further object of the invention is to produce a very cheap, eflective and satisfactory griddle shield to prevent splattering from the griddle used in modern stoves. Further objects of the invention, as well as the advantages of it, will be apparent from the specification and the accompanying claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a stove employing the new griddle shield of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows an isometric view of a griddle shield of the invention placed in position upon a stove top;

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the new shield of the invention taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 of the drawing;

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the shield taken at line 4-4 of Fig. 3 of the drawing;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the hinge employed in the shield of the invention taken at line 5-5 of Fig. 4 of the drawing;

Fig. 6 illustrates a bearing structure employed and taken at line 66 of Fig. 4 of the drawing;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the same bearing structure taken at line 77 of Fig. 6 of the drawing; and

Fig. 8 illustrates a sectional view of the latch structure of the invention taken at line 8-8 of Fig. 4 of the drawmg.

Briefly, the above objects of the invention are achieved by forming a griddle shield and cover which consist essentially of a central back portion and two attached side shields. In a closed position, the cover of the invention preferably resembles the stove proper so that one normally looking at the stove would not at first glance recognize the griddle as a separate unit.

Perhaps the invention is best explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here there is shown a stove 10 provided with a central griddle portion 11 having around its edges an annular groove 12 adapted to hold grease or the like running off the griddle proper. This griddle is formed with side shoulders 15 resting within appropriate ledge elements 16 against stop elements 18 in the stove proper. These side shoulders 15 are equipped with a handle portion 14 to aid in removing the griddle for cleaning or the like.

The griddle cover 2%) employed with the invention consists essentially of a back or top portion 21 to which there are attached surrounding side shoulders 22. Positioned within the top portion 21 is a small finger hole 23 to aid in moving the cover 20. Appended to the shoulders 22 are two side shields 25 and 26, respectively, which are attached by means of U-shaped hinge elements 27 pivotally receiving straight rods 28 traversing annular formed flanges 2% on the side shields 25 and 26. Thus, these side shields are free to turn about the axes of the respective rods 28.

it is also important that these side shields 25 and 26 may be removed after using by lifting the pivot rods 28 from the lower U-shaped elements 27, swinging them out of these lower U-shaped elements 27, and thence dropping them out of the upper U-shaped elements 27. The shields may then be easily washed with dishes or, if desirable, may be easily lifted and stored with any fiat pan lids, etc. The assembled griddle cover 20, having no permanent attachment to the range top, can be lifted when desired for easy cleaning in a sink.

The side shield 25 is provided near its top edge 34 with a small latch 28 consisting of a central pivot 29, a body shank portion 30 and a central latch edge 31. This latch is positioned in such a manner so that, as desired, the two shield elements 25 and 26 can be placed against the top portion 21 of the cover 20 and latched in place so that they will not fall during moving of the cover 20. Also, these elements are so hinged and positioned with respect to the cover 20 that they lie flat within this cover when it is placed over the griddle 14. As shown in Fig. 3, the edge of the latch element 23 preferably matches the groove 12 within the griddle proper when the cover 21 is closed.

Formed within the stove 15 at the back of the griddle 11 there is a slot-like opening 453 having at its side removed from the griddle 11 two small wheels 41 of nylon, or the like, dependent from appropriate supporting members 42. Each of these. wheels projects through an aperture 43 within a back guide shield 45 having a relatively straight top portion 46, a curved central portion 5d, and a lower U-shaped socket 47 provided with supporting shoulders 43 and an edge flange 45*. This shield 45 is attached as by rivets or welding to the supporting members 42 at their top edges back of the opening 4%. The bottom of the depression 47 is similarly attached to a supporting member 52 within the stove proper.

The use of the new griddle shield of the invention is so obvious it hardly needs a separate explanatory para graph. When the griddle 11 of the stove 13 is not in use, the cover 2% is folded flat over the griddle 13 so as to resemble the top of a stove, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. In order for the griddle 11 to be used the cover 28 is grasped by means of the finger hole 23 and is slid back within the opening as against the guide shield 45 and the wheels 41 until it is at rest in the depression 47, as indicated in the phantom views of Fig. 3. The wheels 41 serve to prevent scratching the cover 29 during theopening process. The latch 28' is then opened and the side wall portions 25 and 26 are swung to the positions shown in Fig. 2 where they are held in place by friction against the griddle shoulders 15.

Although I have disclosed exemplary embodiments of my invention herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutionsmay be incorporated in the embodiments disclosed Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention: a

1. In combination: a stove having a top portion; means defining ledge elements upon said top portion; a griddle positioned upon said ledge elements; a lidof a size to cover said griddle, said lid resting on said top portion 1 and covering said griddle, said lid being capable of being' lifted from the top of said 'st'ove; means'defining an opening in said top portion of said stoveback of said griddle and parallel to one edge thereof; a curved back wall portion positioned withinsaid stove beneath said top portion behind said .opening,said curved back Wall portion serving Ias a guide when said lid is lifted from said griddle and slid into said; opening; means defining a socket within said stove beneath said top adjacent the bottom of said back wall portion, said socket being de- 7 signed to hold said lid in an upright position partially beneath said top portion when said lid'is lifted from said side walls and pivot means for respectively pivotally connecting same to opposed side edges of said lid to swing from a folded position in which they are parallel and adjoining to an open position in which they extend forwardlyin spaced parallel-relationship along opposite sides of said griddle when said lid is slid into said opening, said side walls forming with said lid a shield adjacent three sides of said griddle so as to prevent unwanted splashing from said griddle onto adjacent portions of said stove; and latch means for holding said side walls in said folded position adjacent said lid whereby said side walls are heldbetween said lid and said griddle when said lid is positioned over said griddle.

2. In combination: a'stove having a top portion including a griddle, said top portion; having an opening back of said griddle, the length of the opening being at least equal to the'width of ,the' griddle; a curved back wall portion beneath said top portion behind said opening, said wall portion providing an upper portion curving rcarwardly and downwardly from said opening and a lower portion curving forwardly and downwardly and providing a shelf at its lower end; a lid of a size to cover said griddle and of a width to be received bysaid opening; said lid being free of attachment to said stove to be' a position, there being .a forward portion of said lid extending above said top. portion of said stovewhen said lid is in said retracted position; 'a pair of side walls; and

sides of said forward portion of said lid to swing from a fq d dp siti n i which s d. s de Walls ar P ral l and adjoining to an open position in which said side walls extend forwardly in spaced parallel relationship along opposite sides of said griddle when said lid is in said retracted position.

3. A device as defined inclaim 2 in whichsaid upper portion of said back wall portion is a relatively straight portion forming an obtuse angle with said top portion of said stove whereby said rear portion of said lidcan enter said opening at a position forward of said relatively straight portion while said lid is at an acute angle relative to said top portion of said stove. i

4. In combination: a stove having a top portion including a griddle, said top portion having an opening providinga shelf at its lower end; a lid of a size to cover.

said griddle and of a width to be received by said opening, said lid being free of attachment to said stove to' be freely liftable from said, stove for cleaning, said lid pro} viding' a rear portion engaging said curved wall portion to be guided by said curved upper and lower portions thereof as said rear portion of said lid is lowered" into a said opening to rest on said shelf when in'retracted positien, there beinga forward portion of said lid extending above said top portion of said stove when said lid is in said retracted position; a plurality of wheels positioned meansfor pivoting said sidewalls respectively to the rearwardly of said ppenin'g andengageable by the rear portionjo'f 'the top of;sa.id lid'to guide same in its initial. niovemerit'toward said retractedposition; a pair of side wal1s;;and-nieansffor pivoting said side walls respectively to t'he sides'ofsaid forward portion of said lid to swing a 7 from a folded position in which said side walls are vparallel'and adjoining to an open position in which said side walls extend forwardly in spaced parallelrelationship along opposite sides of said griddle when'said lid is 'in said retracted position.

U Refei-en'ces Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED. STATES PATENTS T f. "69,799 Greene Oct. 15, 1867' 1,546,717 'Chilingirian July 21, 1925 1,854,035 .Hurt Apr. 12, 1932 f 1,954,580 Toomey Apr. 10, 1934- 2,111,'824 Turner' Mar. 22, 1938 t 2,163,258 Lautz June '20, 1939 2,221,870 Kahn Nov. 19, 1940 2,314,157 .OBrien Mar. 16, 1943', 2,483,562 Reeves l '1949 2,497,224 Laure Feb. 14, 1950 2,566,765 1951 Graham Sept. 4, 

